Islamic Political Identity in Turkey

250 islamic political identity in turkeyties.” 48 Following the CC decision, the MGH split into two diVerent parties. Theconservative faction of the FP, under Kutan, founded the SP in July 2001. 49 Moremoderate leaders formed the Justice and Development Party (AKP: Adalet veKalkìnma Partisi) in August 2001, thereby cementing the division in the Islamicmovement.The AKP has managed to redeWne itself not as a “splinter group” of MGHbut rather a dynamic force to incorporate center-right voters by stressing itssocially conservative Muslim-Turkish and economically liberal project. The threeprominent actors of the AKP, Erdo;an, Gül, and Arìnç, all came from the nationalistbackground and were inXuenced by the writings of Necip Fazìl, SezaiKarakoç, and Rasim Özdenören. Moreover, there are prominent Nak7ibendiintellectuals in the AKP, such as 8rfan Gündüz of the Erenköy Nak7ibendi order.The charisma of Erdo;an, his lifestyle, and his role as a generational bridgebetween younger and older voters make the AKP a party with potentially broadappeal. Nevertheless, the political future of Turkey will not be determined byhow well the AKP or any other parties do at the ballot boxes but rather by a compromisebetween Kemalism and democracy.The Politics of Fear: The Rise of the Nationalist Action Party (MHP)After the resignation of Erbakan in 1997, a new coalition government was formedwith Yìlmaz as prime minister and Ecevit as deputy prime minister. Thegovernment’s goal was to implement the 18 directives of the military. Manyconservative and religious deputies from the center-right parties refused to supportthe necessary changes. Yìlmaz only managed to implement the education“reform,” which raised compulsory secular education from Wve to eight years;the goal was to cripple the 8mam Hatip schools. The coalition government sooncame under attack because of Yìlmaz’s close ties to underworld-linked businessmenbidding for state contracts. A vote of no conWdence ended Yìlmaz’s governmentin November 1998. President Demirel nominated Ecevit, who had fullmilitary support, to be prime minister. Other party leaders, such as Yìlmaz andÇiller, supported Ecevit’s minority government, which had the task of preparingthe country for elections in April 1999 (see table 10.1).The major result of the April 1999 general elections was the serious erosionof the political center, a development that had grave implications for eVortsto institutionalize Turkey’s already weak democratic process. 50 The two partiesthat emerged with the largest number of votes from the general elections, theDSP led by Ecevit and the MHP led by Devlet Bahçeli, both espoused a militantand particularistic version of nationalism that is hostile to Turkey’s diverse ethnicand religious groups. By making stunning gains in central and westernAnatolia, these nationalist parties won a combined total of 40 percent of thepopular vote, became the two largest blocs in the parliament, and joined to forma coalition government. 51 The DSP was created by Ecevit, but it is not so mucha mass party as one dependent on his personal popularity and character.